Labor Trafficking on Your Plate and in Your Closet

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Activist Kelsey Timmerman begins his presentation by declaring, “I’m Kelsey and I’m a choco-holic!” He then discusses the exploitation – and sometimes outright slave labor – behind the food we eat (including chocolate) and clothes we wear. He has traveled to countries around the world and observed first-hand the horrendous conditions that trafficked laborers face – for example, the plight of workers in the African country of Ivory Coast who harvest cocoa for our chocolate. His quest to expose global labor trafficking and exploitation started when he noticed that a pair of his boxer shorts were made in Bangladesh; he then went to that country to see where they were made and by whom. What he has seen has spurred him to write a book, “Where am I Eating?” and to work to raise consumer consciousness.